Joan Buchanan, BSC Student Activities Coordinator) welcomes guests to the “Music of the Coalfields” exhibit in the Hebert Gallery/Harris-Jefferson Student Center, at the College. The exhibit will remain at the campus through October 6.

( Bluefield)—The “Music of the Coalfields” that has resonated throughout Bluefield State College’s Hebert Gallery during September will continue to play through October 6. Joan Buchanan (BSC’s Student Activities Coordinator), directed the College’s effort to serve as a month-long host site for the exhibit, which included two large displays and a music center upon which visitors could select (in jukebox style) and listen to their favorite songs. The display has been so popular that the WV Humanities Council has approved Buchanan’s request for an extension of its stay at BSC.

“The exhibit features a vintage photograph collection of many of Southern West Virginia’s most important musicians,” Buchanan explained. “The exhibit affirms Bluefield’s importance as a musical center during the mid-20 th Century.” It includes photos of former BSC student Maceo Pinkard, who composed “Sweet Georgia Brown,” along with Bluefield musical promoter Ralph Weinberg, the legendary Duke Ellington in concert at the Bluefield Auditorium, and numerous other musical greats.

“We were also privileged to receive for display the prized fiddle of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd,” Buchanan added. “It’s a gorgeous and historic instrument,” noted Michael Lipton, the exhibit’s creator and the project director for the WV Music Hall of Fame. The Music of the Coalfield Exhibit is sponsored by the United Mine Workers of America, the Regional Coal Heritage Authority, and the WV Humanities Council.

October 3, 2006